Absurd Grace
Good morning, Immanuel family. Be encouraged by the outrageous grace of God available to you.
“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” (Romans 10:4)
We are all born under the requirement to obey all of God’s commands—wow, that isn’t easy to do! Recently I tried driving 20 mph through a school zone. Have you tried driving that slow? It took a lot of concentration, especially with others pushing me from behind. I was afraid to look away from the speedometer and go 21, maybe 22 and get a ticket from the stern-looking policeman staring me down. I lived my early Christian life with a fear of messing up. Legalism motivates us out of fear. It makes us hide. It distances us from others who could help us. But there’s grace.
Christ accomplished all of the requirements of the law. His righteousness becomes ours by faith.
The truth is that we cannot obey the law, which condemns us. We do not deserve to be in right standing with God. We haven’t earned it. We cannot earn it. Jesus Christ, with whom we are utterly dependent, accomplishes our righteousness. But in the place of our sinfulness, Christ extends His righteousness to us anyway. That’s grace, and that’s absurd.